ASU event examines post-9/11 America

By

Terry Williams

—

August 22, 2016

This September marks 15 years since the events of 9/11. Has the passage of time changed how we remember the attacks and what they mean to us personally and as a nation?

How has our understanding of the relationship among religion, politics and conflict evolved? What implications does this have for understanding the wars, conflicts and attacks that have resulted, and for U.S. foreign policy? What are the prospects for peace?

The Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict in collaboration with the Center on the Future of War will present a panel discussion on these and other questions at 3:15 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 7. The panel, titled “Religion, Conflict and Terrorism in the Public Consciousness,” will be held in West Hall, room 135, on the Tempe campus.

“We are anticipating a lively and compelling discussion,” says Linell Cady, director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, who will moderate the discussion.

“So much has changed in the US and around the world in the last 15 years. This is an important time to stop and reflect on the wars and conflicts that have ensued since 9/11, to look at where we are in light of where we started, and to consider where we might be going.”

Panelists will include:

• John Carlson, associate director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, associate professor of religious studies, and author of From "Jeremiad to Jihad: Religion, Violence and America"

• Anand Gopal, journalist and author of "No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban and the War Through Afghan Eyes"

• Daniel Rothenberg, co-director of the Center on the Future of War, professor of practice within the School of Politics and Global Studies, and co-editor of "Drone Wars: Transforming Conflict, Law, and Policy"

• Delia Saenz, associate professor of psychology, former vice provost for Diversity and Inclusion, and expert in intergroup relations and social identity

Cady will ask each of the panelists to respond to a series of questions, exploring issues of terrorism, violence, the rise of nativism and the possibilities for peace, while also leaving plenty of time for the audience to raise questions and enter into the conversation.

“One of the great ironies of the last decade and a half is that our nation’s confrontation with the rich and vexing complexities of other countries and cultures has increased the appeal of simple explanatory narratives rooted in and expressive of mistrust, rather than its opposite,” said Daniel Rothenberg, co-director of the Center on the Future of War, which is co-sponsoring the event.

“Understanding this dynamic is one of the most important challenges of post-9/11 America.”